Disposable gloves are widely used as a protective measure to insulate hands from microorganisms and irritants. Many workers, especially those working in the health care, chemical and food handling industries, rely on disposable gloves to provide a protective barrier from harmful microorganisms and irritants. Additionally, the increasing threat of exposure to bio-terrorism has prompted many individuals to wear disposable gloves to protect themselves against deadly microorganisms. Consequently, more individuals are wearing disposable gloves for much longer periods of time than in the past.
Disposable gloves are typically made from latex and vinyl materials which tend to dry and irritate human skin. With the increased use of disposable gloves comes a need to provide a disposable glove that is comfortable to wear and will not dry and irritate the hands of the wearer.
Many botanical extracts have been found to soften and soothe dry and irritated skin. Aloe vera is a well known extract from the aloe plant. Aloe vera is commonly used to treat burns because of its healing, cooling, and moisturizing effects. Camomile is also a well known herb commonly used in teas, but has been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,154 is directed to a disposable glove containing a film of dehydrated aloe vera on the interior surface of the glove. This patent describes applying a solution of aloe vera to the interior surface of a glove, then heating the glove until the water is dehydrated, leaving a film of dehydrated aloe vera on the interior surface of the glove. Since the water is completely dehydrated, the interior surfaces of the glove do not contain any significant amount of moisture. Since no moisture is present, the dehydrated aloe vera peels off as powder thereby minimizing any moisturizing effect.
The present invention fills a present need of providing a glove that is non-irritating to the skin and moisturizes the skin as it is worn.